The Duality of Android 18
by Krillin Fan
Summary: This is one of the all time greatest K18 fics ever written. Posted from another site. Original author: James Mah.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, folks. I've decided, for one reason or another, to post this story. First of all, let me clearly state that THIS STORY IS NOT MINE! It's a story I found on another web site that appears to be dead. I tried to write the author to ask for his permission, but the contact information that he left is no longer valid, so… I figure I'll post this, give him full credit, and if he complains, I'll just take it down. But this is beyond a doubt one of the best K/18 fics I've ever seen! So, without further ado, I give you 'The Duality of Android 18' by James Mah._

_**THE DUALITY OF ANDROID 18  
**_**by James Mah**_**  
**_  
START PART 1  
THE TWO MINDS OF ANDROID 18

Android 18 was annoyed. That was nothing new, Android 18 was always annoyed. It was just that now she was more annoyed than usual. It had been four months since Cell had been defeated, four months since the protectors of Earth had brought back to life all those that had been killed by Cell. So why couldn't she find Android 17?

She had scoured the globe multiple times but she couldn't find any traces of him. It was as if her brother was deliberately avoiding her. It made no sense, the two of them had a bond. Her brother was the only person that didn't annoy her.  
She was making another pass over the less temperate zones, looking for anything that reminded her of Android 17. It wasn't going well, her luck was all bad.  
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the floating fortress that those fighters had taken her to. Going to the fortress would mean sudden death. Those guys had defeated Cell and they didn't take too kindly to Androids. Still, she was getting desperate. Maybe they would cut her a break.

Only one way to find out, she decided, and changed course. The flight up the entire length of the fortress was no problem, although she could have sworn that she had seen a talking cat on one of the lower levels. Finally she reached the very top and landed.

There didn't seem to be anyone around. Maybe they were all inside.  
"Wow Dende, you're really getting a hang of this Guardian thing."

That voice! No, it couldn't be him. Anyone but him.

"Thanks Krillin."

No! Not the little bald guy. She could face anyone, even that little kid who killed Cell, but not Krillin. There was just something about the way he kept doing things to help her that didn't seem right. She had beaten up his friends, she had insulted him, she even mocked the feelings he professed to have for her and still he kept doing nice things for her. She had taken special care to avoid him in the past four months, so why did he have to be here now?

There, she could see them coming out of the house. Krillin, the little green kid, and Piccolo, the big green Namek who had almost beaten her brother.

"Hey, no problem Dende. I still can't believe you got the Dragon to grant us two wishes instead of one. You're doing a great job as Guardian. What do you think Piccolo?"

"He's doing well."

"Don't worry, Dende, that kind of compliment from Piccolo is like a gushing of emotion from anyone else."

"I know. I'm just glad Nail... I mean Piccolo agreed to stay and help me."

"It's not like I've got anything else to do, kid," the taller Namekian said.

"That's true," Krillin said. "It feels good not to have anyone trying to destroy the world for once. I wonder if Goku was right about how everyone was just trying to get to hi... Android 18!"

Android 18 mentally cringed. Krillin called out her name with excitement and glee when it should have been with anger or fear. It just wasn't right.

"Dende, stand back," Piccolo warned, going into a fighting stance.

"Hey wait Piccolo. Let's find out why she's here before we get into anything hasty," Krillin said. "She's not here to fight." Then there was just a slight pause that made Android 18 smile as Krillin looked at her and grimaced. "You aren't are you?"

"No," she said.

Krillin sighed with relief. His face broke into a smile and Android 18's bad mood returned.

"So how can we help you?"

"I need to find my brother."

"What's that got to do with us?" Piccolo demanded.

"You guys always seem to be able to find us. At least you did five months ago."

"Why would we help you?"

"Why not? Bald boy over there seemed pretty eager to help me last time."

Krillin was surprised. He didn't think Android 18 had noticed. When she flew away four months ago part of him had been sure it was the last time he would ever see her. Nice to know he was wrong. It was good to see her again. She hadn't changed much in four months. Her clothes were different, although it looked like she was still favoring the white shirt and dark pants look. Krillin felt better just knowing that she was okay.

"I think I can help," he said.

"You?" Android 18 asked, surprised. "How can you help?"

Krillin took a small device from his pocket. "This is a tracker, it's set up to find the energy signatures unique to androids built by Dr. Gero. Bulma made it for me."  
"Why?" Android 18 asked suspiciously.

Krillin laughed nervously. "Well I mentioned to her what happened and Bulma thought it would be a nice gesture. You know, just in case I ever wanted to find you or something."

"I see," Android 18 said accusingly.

"No, it's not like that," Krillin all but screamed. "I haven't used it." He didn't mention that sometimes he turned it on just to make sure that Android 18 was still alive. That kind of thing gave him comfort.  
"Give it to me," Android 18 said.

"What?"

"Give it to me. I'm going to find my brother."

"But what if I need it?"

"For what? Are you going to track me down so you can peep on me taking a shower?"

"No! I mean what if I need to find you for some reason?"

"Trust me little man, you'll never have a reason."

"But..."

"Just give me the tracker."

"No. Not unless I can go with you."

Android 18 stared at him and suddenly Krillin regretted his words. This could only serve to alienate him from her, but Krillin didn't want her to just leave his life again. If Android 18 wanted to live the rest of her life in seclusion at the very least Krillin wanted to was see her off.

Android 18 shrugged. "Whatever. Just don't expect me to slow down so you can keep up."

Krillin grinned and walked forward. Piccolo grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this Krillin? It could be dangerous."

"It's okay. I don't think she'll try to hurt me. We haven't heard of her or her brother doing anything in the past four months, why should she start now. Besides, I don't think she's got it in her."

"Be careful, then. I don't trust them."

Krillin just smiled. Piccolo removed his hand and Krillin handed Android 18 the tracking device. It beeped once.

"Fine let's go," she said and jumped off the side of the platform. Krillin followed after her.

They flew away, Android 18 leading the way. Nothing was said between the two. Krillin used the time to watch Android 18. The last time they had been together things had been hectic. Now that the world wasn't in danger he was able to give her his complete attention.  
She must have noticed because she stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?" she asked angrily.  
"Huh? Nothing."

"You were looking at my butt!"

"No! You've got me all wrong! I wouldn't do that!"

"Then why were you looking at me?"

"I... That is to say... You look really good."

"Like I need you to tell me that."

"Uh, sorry."

"Hmmph." Android 18 turned back around and flew off.

Krillin sighed and flew after her. After another hour he spoke up, "So how have you been doing these past few months?"

Android 18 screeched to a halt and turned. She stood floating in the air, an angry look on her face. Krillin stopped next to her, a confused look on his face.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Why are you doing this?!" she screamed. "Why can't you leave me alone?"  
Krillin jumped back in sudden fear. One look at her pained face and he could fear her no longer. She was angry, that much was evident from the tone of her voice, but there was something more. Could it be fear? No, impossible, Krillin couldn't imagine her being afraid. "I-I'm not sure," he stammered. "I just wanted to help you."

"Oh so what? Poor little woman needed the big strong man's help? Did you think I'd be so grateful I'd fall into your arms?"

"No!" a stunned Krillin almost squealed. His arms were gesturing his defiance, looking all too much like a poorly executed attack. He put them down quickly, not wanting to embarrass himself further. "I just thought maybe you could use some help. It's not easy to take on a guy like..."

He mentally groaned.

"Like who? My brother? Me?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant if he's not feeling too friendly you might want some back up."

"What? You?"

"Well yeah."

"Don't make me laugh, little man. My brother and I could easily take you apart."

"You shouldn't underestimate people," Krillin said with more confidence than he felt. "I'm no Super Saiyan but I can hold my own."

"Hold this!" Android 18 screamed as in a blur of motion she brought her fist forward into his face.

Or at least that was the plan.

To both their surprise Krillin deflected the blow easily.

"What is this?" Android 18 asked angrily, the annoyance almost tangent in her voice.

Krillin was staring at his hands with awe. He knew he had become stronger since the Androids first appeared, but he had no idea he was this much stronger. The intense training he had undergone to face Cell must have paid off. Could it be that he now surpassed the Androids?

Android 18 put his theory to the test. With a barrage of kicks and punches she tried to land a blow on the young bald man. Krillin deflected every attack.

Much more at home with fighting than trying to deal with women, Krillin was in his element. He was more than holding his own against the woman that had beaten up Vegeta. At the power level he was at he might even be a match for Frieza.  
He was deflecting the best close combat attacks Android 18 had. And dare he say it? He was doing it with ease.

Krillin grabbed her arms as they accelerated toward his head. Maneuvering skillfully, he avoided her kicks but held onto her arms, keeping them firmly in place at her sides. "Do we really have to continue?" he asked wearily.

Android 18 tried to struggle from his grip to no avail. "This is impossible," she protested. "You can't be this strong."

Krillin was about to say something witty but he stopped himself. He just couldn't bring himself to say anything mean to the beautiful cyborg. She didn't seem like herself. Her normally unimpassioned face was twisted in fear.  
Fear? What could she possibly have to fear?

Him?

"Now what?" she asked, trying to maintain her sarcastic front. She was failing; Krillin could hear her voice tremble. "The p-poor little g-girl is at your mercy, going t-to make her love you? M-make her y-your girl or else?"  
Krillin let go of her, so fast it was as if she were on fire. He flew back, putting distance between them, trying to get away from her piercing eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," he said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I didn't mean to... I... Sorry!"

He flew away, leaving Android 18 alone to look at the place he had once been, her mechanical heart beating furiously. How had Krillin gotten so strong? Just a few months ago he had been frozen with fear at the prospect of fighting her or her brother. He had been so pathetic that she had kissed him on the cheek to tease him.

When Cell had tried to absorb her he had come to her aid and was of no help whatsoever. Cell absorbed her and for a while she had ceased to exist. When she woke up Krillin's face hovered over her own, concern clearly visible.  
It didn't make sense. People didn't get concerned about her. She was an Android, people feared her. If someone was nice to her it was because they were afraid of what she would do to them.

So why was someone clearly stronger than her being so nice? Krillin had a chance to deactivate her; he chose to destroy the destruct mechanism. Krillin had a chance to let Vegeta kill her, instead he pleaded for her life. Krillin had a wish and he wished for her happiness.

It didn't make sense. People didn't act that way. It had to be a trick. Yes a trick! He was planning to hurt her. She remembered the momentary look of smugness on his face. She would make Krillin pay.

The tracking device began to beep. It showed two signals. One was right in the center of the screen, obviously hers. The other was only a few miles away. Android 18 smiled.

* * *

Krillin wasn't sure where he should go. After how he had behaved he didn't feel he had a right to go home. He wanted to talk to someone, but Goku was dead. Gohan had his hands full, Yamcha wouldn't understand, Master Roshi would have just wanted to know how Android 18's breasts looked, and there was no way he could tell Chi-chi or Bulma what happened.

He had seen the fear in Android 18's eyes.

Oolong called her a monster. So what did that make Krillin? The monster's monster?  
He called upon all his training, going all the way back to his training at the monastery. The answer came to him, he had to do penance. It was the only way. Then, if his soul ever felt clean again, he could tell his friends what happened and ask their forgiveness.

Krillin landed in a nice abandoned stretch of forest. This would be his home now. He would train beneath the stars until he had cleaned away the hatred and anger in him. Otherwise he would become arrogant and cruel. He would be Vegeta. Krillin shuddered at the thought.

Eventually he would need to make a shelter, but for now he would just train. He leapt into the air and began to attack invisible enemies with a flurry of punches and kicks. He allowed his mind to focus completely on his attacks, even throwing in the occasional Destructo Disc.

When he had cleared his mind Krillin began to wind down his training. That's when the attack came from his right. It was fast, so fast that he barely even saw it. But he did see it.  
He braced himself and blocked just as Android 17 torpedoed into him. By carefully manipulating the force of the impact Krillin was able to throw the Android away from him. The black haired android tumbled through the air and landed on his feet.

"Eighteen told me what happened," Android 17 sneered. "For that you will pay."

Krillin nodded. So Android 18 had been able to find her brother and told him everything that happened. Krillin agreed that he needed to be punished, but he didn't think the Android's idea of punishment was in line with his own. Android 17 was probably thinking of something along the lines of death.

Android 17 rushed at Krillin and battered the bald warrior with a multitude of punches and kicks, all of which were deftly blocked. Android 17 seemed surprised, but showed no sign of letting up.

Which is when Krillin was attacked from behind with a strong kick to his knees.

Taken by surprise, Krillin fell to his knees and was subjected to blows from both Android 17 and the second fighter. Krillin shot into the air to evade them and give himself time to catch his breath.

A quick glance to the ground confirmed his suspicions; the second fighter was Android 18. That was bad. Against either Android Krillin was pretty sure he would prevail, but against both of them he had little chance. Not if they both wanted him dead.

So Krillin did the only thing he could. He landed and stood perfectly still.  
Android 17 flew toward him, his fist already extended for a torpedo punch. Android 18 waited a few seconds and then began her charge from a perpendicular angle so that if Krillin suddenly jumped the two wouldn't crash into each other.  
Krillin made no move and so Android 17's blow hit him first, sending him flying into a tree. He grunted as the force of the impact caused the tree to collapse.

Slowly he got up and was struck in the head with a roundhouse kick by Android 18. It sent him into another tree, which also fell. Before he could get up Android 17 kicked him high into the air where Android 18 was waiting to bring both her fists down onto his back, hurtling him towards the earth and making a large crater in the forest floor.

Krillin stood up once more, drooping slightly and clutching his ribs. The Androids readied themselves, prepared to avoid whatever attack Krillin had planned. But he did nothing.  
Cautiously Android 17 let fire an energy beam. It slammed into Krillin's shoulder and sent him flying three feet, where he crashed unpoetically to the edge of the crater.

Krillin stood up.

"This is getting annoying," Android 17 said.

"This doesn't make any sense. He's stronger than us," Android 18 said. "He should be trying to defend himself at the very least."  
"I think your great threat realizes he can't take on the both of us and is looking for a fast death. Far be it from me to deny him." Android 17 let loose a volley of energy beams in Krillin's direction. It was a wide series of shots, meant so that only a few needed to hit in order to do the required damage. Many of them would miss. In fact given Krillin's size most of them would miss. But a few would hit, and that was enough.

The range of the shots was abnormally wide, something Krillin realized seconds before Android 17, and long before Android 18.

Krillin leapt to his right, right in front of the path of the energy beam heading towards Android 18's head. It hit Krillin squarely in the chest before Android 18 registered what was going on.

Krillin stayed on the forest floor for a short minute to gather what remained of his strength. When he felt enough of it return he pushed himself on his hand and knees and was swiftly kicked in the stomach by Android 17. He landed at Android 18's feet. She looked down at his pitifully battered body and frowned.

"Why don't you fight back?!" Android 18 demanded.

Krillin slowly looked up at her. Looked at her beautiful face and remembered it twisted in horror.

"I don't deserve to fight back after the way I treated you."

She stared at him, the shock registering on her face. "W-what are you talking about? Get up and fight us."

Krillin said nothing so she kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying into the sky. He landed twenty feet away with a grunt.

"Fight us!" she yelled at him. "I know you're strong enough, so why don't you fight! I'll kill you if you don't!"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. He could taste the blood rising up his throat.

"Stop that!" she screamed, kicking him again. This time it wasn't with enough force to send him airborne.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you. You deserve better…"

"Stop that! Stop being nice to me!" Android 18 kicked him a few more times to emphasize her point.

Android 17 picked up Krillin's limp body by the neck. "You shouldn't have messed with my sister."

Krillin tried to apologize once more but was forced to cough. He sprayed a red mist all over 17's face.

"You'll pay for that," the android said darkly. Krillin felt the artificial fingers close around his windpipe. The young fighter didn't have enough will power left to try and stop it.  
Maybe he didn't deserve to.

Oh well, at least he'd be able to hang out with Goku again.

--

_Something just wasn't right. Her brother held Krillin's life in his hands, ready to extinguish it, and Android 18 couldn't help but think that it felt wrong. _

_  
That was stupid. Krillin had to pay for what he had done. He had tried to play with her emotions by being nice to her. Pretended to like her.  
_

_Nobody liked Android 18. They feared her or they tried to kill her. She was the mechanical monster created by Dr. Gero.  
_

_It was what she deserved.  
_

_Wasn't it?  
_

_No, she couldn't think like that. She was a killer. She was evil.  
_

_Except in Krillin's eyes.  
_

_No that was a trick! A trick, to hurt her. To make her suffer. Everyone wanted her to suffer. So she had to do it to them first, hurt them before they could hurt her.  
_

_Krillin saved her life multiple times. Kept her safe from Cell after she was ejected. Removed the self-destruct mechanism in her body with a wish from the dragon. Fled because he thought he had scared her. He would never hurt her.  
_

_It was all part of a trick. He only pretended to love her.  
_

_But what if it wasn't a trick?  
_

_Of course it was a trick. Or else it meant admitting that he genuinely liked her. It meant giving up a part of the defenses she had spent so long to build. The defenses that saved her from Dr. Gero, from Cell.  
_

_Why? Why would the defenses fall?  
_

_Because if Krillin liked her then she was vulnerable.  
_

_Why?  
_

_Because Krillin would use that opening to attack her, make her less than she was.  
_

_Krillin wouldn't do that.  
_

_Yes he would. Any man would. They're all beasts.  
_

_Krillin was different.  
_

_No he wasn't! He was the worst.  
_

_Why?  
_

_Android 18 liked him. Krillin was the first person in a long time that she could be around and not be angry. And he would use that against her.  
_

_Krillin wouldn't do that.  
_

_Yes he would. Remember that smug look on his face when they both realized he was stronger than her? He was no different than anyone else.  
_

_Then why did he apologize?  
_

_Because he was trying to hide it. Trying to make Android 18 think he was different.  
_

_Krillin was different! He was special!  
_

_No he wasn't! Every time Android 18 was around him she felt nervous and scared.  
_

_Like a girl in love.  
_

_Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Krillin was evil! He was pain! He would hurt her more than anyone else!  
_

_Why did she have to keep telling herself that?  
_

_Because it was true!  
_

_Because she wanted to believe it was true.  
_

_It was true!  
_

_Then why didn't she believe it.  
_

_She did. Really she did.  
_

_Then why was she arguing with herself. Who was this voice in her head that wanted her to trust Krillin, maybe even to love him?  
_

_She didn't know.  
_

_Yes she did. She just had to think hard enough.  
_

_...  
_

_The small part of her that had survived Dr. Gero's tampering. The part that wasn't filled with rage and hatred.  
_

_It still existed?  
_

_Yes.  
_

_She could feel it now. It had always been that one part of her that seemed off, the part she had tried to silence.  
_

_Krillin wasn't going to hurt her, was he?  
_

_No he wasn't.  
_

--

"Stop!"

Android 17 turned to look at her. "What?"

"Stop it! Don't kill him."

Android 17 shrugged and tossed Krillin's lifeless body to the ground. "Whatever. He's on the verge of death anyway."

Android 18 knelt beside Krillin's body and placed her hand over his heart. She could just make out a faint, erratic heartbeat.

"He needs a Sense bean," she said.

"And where are we supposed to find those?" Android 18 snorted.

"The green kid."

"What?"

"The little green boy. He can heal anyone. He healed me. We've got to get Krillin there."

"This is ridiculous; just let the bald weenie die. It won't matter."

"No! It matters. Krillin's different."

"How?"

"If you're not going to help me I'll do this myself," Android 18 said. She picked up Krillin's body and flew off into the air.

--

Krillin wasn't sure what was going on. He felt that he was flying really fast, but he wasn't concentrating his energy so that was impossible. He also felt like he was being cradled by something very warm.

* * *

Android 18 landed next to Piccolo but ignored the large green Namekian warrior. Instead she made a bee-line straight to the young green boy standing by the entrance to the Palace. He was the guardian of the planet and a healer.

Dende wasn't worried that the monster known as Android 18 was walking towards him. His eyes were glued to the small figure in his arms. It was his friend.

"You, green kid. Heal Krillin, or I'll kill you."

"Don't threaten him," Piccolo said angrily.

"It's okay Piccolo. She just wants to help Krillin. Isn't that right?" Dende asked.

Momentarily forgetting herself, Android 18 nodded. "Yes, please."

"Okay. Just lay him on the ground."

Android 18 did as she was told and stepped back.

Dende approached Krillin's prone body and placed his hands upon it. Android 18 watched as Dende concentrated and all the bruises on Krillin's body gradually disappeared. Soon there wasn't a scratch on him.

Android 18 gasped with delight. She fell to her knees next to Krillin's body and brought her hands close to his heart, afraid to touch his body for fear that she might undo the healing.

Krillin awoke with a start and sat up. Android 18's hands flew back to her own chest on reflex.

"What happened?" Krillin asked groggily.

"You were hurt so Android 18 brought you to me," Dende said calmly.

"Wow, good thing. Last thing I remember was being pretty beat up."

"Yes, how did you get so many injuries in such a short amount of time? Is there a new threat?"

"Oh, no, I just got in a little scrape," Krillin laughed. "Nothing to worry about. Android 18 must have saved me."

Android 18 stared at Krillin in disbelief. If he had told them the truth then Piccolo would have taken her apart, but he was lying to them, for her. She had seriously underestimated this man. Fortunately part of her hadn't. Krillin had reawakened the one small shred of humanity left in her.

She grabbed his big bald head and kissed him squarely on the lips. A small part of her tingled with excitement, and now she knew which part. The last time she had kissed him it was meant to tease his weakness, this time it was a token of her appreciation, and just a little bit of it was an expression of her affection.

When she pulled away from him she became aware that three sets of eyes were on her. The faces connected to those eyes were all firmly rooted in stupefaction.  
Android 18 remembered herself and stood up.

"You're better. Good. Next time don't take my brother and me so lightly."

"Uh, yeah," Krillin agreed.

Android 18 pointed her index finger at the ground and carved a series of numbers into the platform's floor with a few well timed energy blasts. "I'll be at my brother's house. Call me."

"Uh, okay."

"Good." She leaned over, kissed Krillin lightly on the cheek, and ran off the edge of the platform.

"Krillin, what just happened?" Dende asked.

"I don't know Dende, but I think it's a good thing."

END PART 1

_Well, there's part one. Please try not to bite my head off over this, guys. I'm just doing this so that everyone can enjoy it._


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, since no one really bit my head off about the last chapter, I'll put part two up now! Enjoy!_

_**The Duality of Android 18**_

**By James Mah**

START PART 2  
THE TWO MARRONS

Krillin answered the phone. He felt a sharp pain go through his side and quickly fade away. Dende had done a good job of healing his injuries from the run in with the Androids two days ago but some of his muscles were still strained. Being kicked repeatedly in the ribs could do that, even if you knew a Namekian healer like Dende.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Krillin? Is that you? It's me, Bulma."

"Hi Bulma, yeah it's me. What's up?"

"Trunks' birthday party! I wanted to invite you, Master Roshi, and Turtle. It's on Thursday at the house. Everyone from the gang is going to be invited. Except for... you know."

"Goku, yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if he used King Kai to say hi though. Gohan says he does that a lot, Chi-Chi's almost gotten used to it."

"That would be nice."

"Yeah. Okay, I'm in. I'll tell the others."

"Great."

"Oh, hey. Is it okay if I bring someone?"

"Really? Sure. Oh, wait, it's not that Maroon girl is it?"

"Maron? No, I haven't got a clue what happened to her. Uh, actually it's Android 18."

"Android 18! Oh Krillin, I don't know."

"No, it's okay. She's changed, pretty much, I think. She won't be a threat, if that's what you're worried about. You just have to worry about what will happen when she gets in the same room as Vegeta. He's strong enough now that he could seriously hurt her. Bulma... I really like her."

"Really? If you're willing to vouch for her I guess it's okay then. Don't worry about Vegeta; I'll take care of him."

"Thanks Bulma."

"Hey, no problem. If I can't handle the third most powerful Saiyan in the universe what kind of..."

Very loudly in the background Krillin could hear Vegeta start to shout. "Damn it woman! I am not the third most anything! I am prince..."

"I've got to go Krillin. See you Thursday."

"Bye."

* * *

"I'll meet you on top of the Guardian's Lookout."

Android 18 hung up the phone and turned to her brother who was reading a book in the kitchen.

"What do you get the son of someone you beat up for their birthday?"

"A juicer," Android 17 said, not looking up from his book.

"I'm serious."

Android 17 put his book down. "I don't know."

"You're a big help."

Android 17 shrugged and went back to reading.

Android 18 sighed to herself. Things would be a lot easier if she knew more people than just Krillin. Actually she did, but Krillin was the only one that didn't think of her as a mortal enemy. There was no alternative. She had to go shopping. The idea was rather appealing. She could pick something up for the kid and find something to wear to the party.

Of course she didn't have any money. Somehow she didn't think Krillin would approve if she just walked out of the stores with what she wanted. She cursed herself. Since when did Krillin dictate how she ran her life?

Two days ago, she reminded herself. She remembered their kiss and smiled to herself.

So she couldn't steal. That left one alternative. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, is Krillin there?"

"Krillin? Yes, just wait a second," a voice on the other end said. It sounded old. Probably a grandfather or something.

Krillin's voice came on the line. "Hello?"

"Krillin, I need you to take me shopping."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Android 18 said in her normally deadpan way. "The kid's mother is the richest woman on the planet and we have to buy him a gift?"

"That's sounds about right," Krillin said.

They were in a toy store. Krillin was looking through the toddler stuff trying to find something not related to Hercule. It was a difficult task. The faker's face was adorned on everything from books to bicycles. There was even a Hercule plush toy.

"And the kid's father not only tried to take over the planet less than five years ago, but also killed most of the people that will be attending the party?"

"He was responsible for their deaths. Most of them were killed by his henchmen," Krillin corrected. He looked over a ball with Cell's face on it and put it away with disgust.

"And I'm going to be the reason everyone feels awkward at this party?"

"Sounds weird doesn't it. I wouldn't worry about it. Almost everyone in the gang tried to kill Goku at some time or another, you should fit right in."

"Wait, everyone tried to kill Goku?" She emphasized the word "everyone".

"Oh yeah. First Yamcha, then Tien kinda, then Piccolo, then Vegeta. Now we're all the greatest of friends. If you can count Vegeta as a friend. What do you think of this?"

Krillin handed Android 18 a plush toy of a giant monkey.

Android 18 looked it over. "I don't get it."

"Bulma keeps Trunks' tail off so..." Krillin stopped and realized Android 18 was giving him a funny look. "Never mind," he mumbled.

"Did you try to kill Goku?"

"No, I just tried to take away his dinner."

"What?" Android 18 asked, amused.

"Hey, it was either him or me. What about this?"

It was a box that proclaimed it contained over 100 small metal puzzles. The kind where three shapes linked together and the challenge was to disassemble the interlocking parts.

"You want to get that for a kid less than two years old?"

"Trunks is a fast developer. He's already walking. You might be right though. Still, I like the idea of getting him something educational. Vegeta's probably going to make him focus on fighting, it would be nice if he could exercise his mind. Last thing we need is a stupid super Saiyan."

"What about this then?" Android 18 picked up a large box from the shelf. It was covered in red and had no pictures of Hercules on it.

"Let me see that," Krillin said. Android 18 handed him the box. "Hey cool, it's a picture of Goku."Winner of the 90th Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament. Toddler's first jigsaw puzzle, fifty pieces, jumbo size, for ages 2 to 10.' That'll work. I didn't even know they made these."

They paid, or rather Krillin paid, for the puzzle and exited the store to the sun warmed streets of the plaza. The strings of high scale shops went on for a mile, at least. There were restaurants, a smattering of book stores, capsule shops, sporting good stores, and the occasional toy store. But most of all there were clothing stores.

"So where do you want to go to first?" Krillin asked.

Android 18 surveyed the shops, trying to find somewhere appropriate. So many stores and only a day to visit them.

--

Krillin sat in the comfortable chair with the puzzle and a box holding a stylish pant suit. He wasn't so much exhausted as exasperated. They had been to ten different stores so far, and he was sure Android 18 wanted to go to more. Ten stores and they had already found something Android 18 liked, but she insisted on going to more.

It wasn't that shopping was expensive; Krillin had more than enough saved up to indulge whatever kind of splurges Android 18 might want. He had wisely invested his money from tournaments and Dragon Ball wishes. Bulma had given him some real sweet deals on Capsule Corp stock.

Now that he thought about it, shopping for clothes with Android 18 was sort of fun. Every time she tried on a new outfit she modeled it for him to get his opinion. If he showed the slightest bit of dislike she rejected it and tried something else on.  
She came out wearing a low-cut blue evening gown that emphasized all the right parts while still being somewhat conservative. Krillin suddenly snapped aware once more.

"What do you think Krillin?

Krillin didn't move.

"Krillin? Krillin?!"

"Huh? I... Wow."

"It takes your boyfriend's breath away," the saleslady said happily.

"Yes it does," Android 18 said. "I'll take it."

"Excellent. Will that be cash or charge?"

"Don't ask me, ask him."

"Sir, will that be cash or charge?"

"Huh?"

"Cash or charge, sir?"

"Uh... What?"

"Krillin, answer the woman."

"Charge," Krillin said absent mindedly and whipped out a card. The saleslady took it and left them alone.

"Krillin, do you know anywhere fancy I can wear a dress like this?"

"A couple places," Krillin said.

"We should go sometime soon."

Krillin nodded still entranced by the vision of Android 18 and the dress.

"Krillin?"

"Huh?"

"I've been wondering. Where do you live?"

"In a house with my teacher. It's on an island in the tropics."

"Then I'm going to need a bathing suit."

Krillin imagined the process of picking one out and smiled.

* * *

They landed on the front lawn of the Brief's family home, a large dome in the middle of the city, after flying from the Guardian's platform. Most of the others had already gathered. Krillin noticed that everyone was mingling freely, even Piccolo if his eyes were to be believed. When they touched the ground Gohan ran up to greet them.

"Hey Krillin!" the young half-Saiyan said happily.

"Hey Bro. How's your mother?"

"She's doing okay. Grandpa made her move in with Bulma until the baby comes so I'm living with him now. It's really cool."

"I'll bet. You're visiting her, I hope?"

"Every day."

"Good kid. You remember Android 18, don't you?"

"Oh wow! Are you two going to get married?"

"Gohan!" Krillin shouted, embarrassed. "Don't be silly!"

"Krillin, what have you been telling your friends?" Android 18 asked slyly.

"Nothing, I swear!" shouted Krillin.

"I don't get it, Krillin," Gohan said. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Heh, heh, Gohan, that's quite an imagination you've got there. We've just started to go out; it's a little too early to decide something like that."

"So she's going to be your girlfriend?"

"Gohan! I don't think we should be talking about this now," Krillin yelled franticly. He could just imagine what was going through Android 18's mind right now. She probably thought him a little too eager to be with her. Man, he had just gotten over the rather large hurdle of getting her to like him; he didn't need a new one appearing so quickly.

"Oh I don't know, if you play your cards right who knows what will happen," Android 18 said wearing a devilish smile.

"Really?" Krillin asked excitedly.

"If you're lucky I might even agree to be your girlfriend."

"Really? You're not just toying with me here, I don't think I'd be able to take it."

"We'll see."

"Oh Krillin, I just remembered, my dad said to say Hi," Gohan said.

"You're dad?" Android 18 raised her eyebrow. "I thought he was dead."

"He is. But he talks with me sometimes with King Kai's help."

"Right," Android 18 said, clearly disbelieving.

"Did he say anything else?" Krillin asked.

"Not really."

"Okay, well tell him I said hi next time you talk to him."

"Okay. I got to go tell my mom. I'll see you later Krillin."

"Okay Bro."

When Gohan had run off Android 18 turned to Krillin. "Does he really believe he talks to his dad? That's denial isn't it?"

"Oh no, Goku can communicate from the afterlife. He's done it a bunch of times. He needs King Kai's help though. Usually he uses it to help us out, but every now and then he just says hi," Krillin explained, trying to sound blasé about the experience. Truth was it gave him the willies, but it was nice to talk to Goku, even if it was from the other dimension.

"Really? How quaint."

"I guess. Uh-oh, here comes Vegeta."

"Wonderful."

Vegeta looked as happy to be at the gathering as he could. In other words the prince of all Saiyans was in his normally foul mood. He was following Bulma as she greeted all the guests. He said little, taking time only to offer complaints, boasts, and insults. No one seemed off put by this, they were used to it. Bulma spotted Krillin and Android 18 and waved. Krillin waved back and watched as the mismatched pair of a genius heiress and surly alien warrior prince walked up the path to greet him.

"Krillin, I'm so glad you could make it! And I see you brought a date! She's beautiful."

"Thanks Bulma," Krillin said. He was taking cautious looks at Vegeta to gauge his rage quotient. It looked to be on the low scale, but you could never tell with Vegeta. "Bulma this is Android 18, Android 18 this is my friend Bulma. I think you already know Vegeta."

Vegeta snorted.

"Vegeta," Bulma scolded. "You agreed not to make a scene. I don't care if you like Krillin's date or not, I think she's nice."

"The affairs of the shrimp are none of my concern. If he wants to waste his time with some artificial creature he can."

Bulma laughed awkwardly. "Don't mind Vegeta, he's just not a people person."

"I remember," Android 18 said dryly.

"Oh that's right, you beat Vegeta up once, didn't you," Bulma said.

"Damn it woman! I told you, that was a long time ago and I'm much stronger now. If you must incessantly bring that up I'll prove who's the strongest warrior on this planet!"

"Now Vegeta, not in front of the guests," Bulma said cheerfully.  
Vegeta stormed off.

"Sorry about that," Bulma apologized. "I just like to get under Vegeta's skin sometimes. It's nice to finally meet you. Krillin's told us all about you."

"Has he now?" Android 18 said with a slightly suspicious tone as she shook the offered hand.

Krillin sighed with relief.

"Well as much as he could. I've got to get Trunks, you two should mingle with the others," Bulma said.

"You're being rather blasé about this," Android 18 said.

Bulma giggled. "I'm married to Vegeta, so I'm the last person who should hold a grudge. I hope someday we can become friends."

"That would be nice," Android 18 said.

Krillin wasn't sure, but he thought she meant it. He realized just how far she had come from an unpredictable killing machine. That small bit of humanity he had sensed in her was growing.

--

Krillin had been taken aside by Piccolo and Yamcha. From the loud laughs of the tall human Android 18 guessed they were ribbing Krillin about something, probably her. Well Yamcha probably was; the Namek displayed less emotion than Android 16. Even so, the nerve of anyone making fun of her relationship with Krillin was distressing.

_If_ she had a relationship with Krillin. She still hadn't decided.

"You must be Android 18," a voice behind her said.

She spun around and saw an old man in sunglasses hunched over with a turtle shell on his back. He wasn't one of the Earth's Special Forces so she didn't recognize him. But if he knew who she was he had to be in the loop.

There was something disconcerting about him. He was looking up at her face, but she couldn't be certain where his eyes were roaming behind those dark sunglasses. She suspected he was checking out her body.

"Who are you, old man?"

"Name's Kame Sen'nin, maybe you've heard of me, the invincible turtle master."

"No," Android 18 said, bored.

The turtle master sighed. "I guess a reputation doesn't go as far as it used to. I'm a friend of Krillin's, used to be his teacher."

Android 18's interest was peaked. "Right, he mentioned you. You're his roommate."

"Sort of, the boy's been living under my roof since I started training him. We've got an extra room since Lunch moved out, if you want to move in. It'd be nice to have a woman around again."

Now she was certain he was checking out her body.

Android 18 leaned in, and in the most threatening voice she could muster said, "Don't even think about it."

The old man shrugged. "Not sure what you mean. Still, anyone that's taken a shine to Krillin is welcome at The Kame House. We were a little worried that would never happen again. Especially after the way he acted after Maron."

"Maron?" Android 18 asked, intrigued. "Who's that?"

"Nice girl, very busty. Wore the tightest clothes I've ever seen. Have you ever given any thought to..."

Eighteen glared at him.

"Yes, well, there's Oolong, if you'll excuse me."

--

"So Krillin, you getting any yet?"

"Yamcha!" Krillin shouted, shocked at his friend's forwardness, not to mention the very idea.

"Come on Krillin, it's a valid question. It's obvious there's something going on between you two."

"Not yet, we've only gone out once, and that was to shop for Trunks gift."

"That's it?" Yamcha asked, confused.

"Well, we did take a few hours to get her some clothes, but that was only because she didn't own anything of her own."

"Clothes shopping? You're in man!"

"Really?"

Piccolo snorted.

"What's a matter Piccolo, you don't think Krillin's doing well for himself?"

"He's doing fine for someone dating a girl that beat him up five days ago."

"What?" Yamcha screamed.

"That was just a misunderstanding," Krillin explained.

"Did she explain to you what it was really about?" Piccolo asked.

"Well no, but..."

"You better watch out. Five months ago she was killing people because she felt like it, don't expect her to change overnight."

"Like you," Yamcha muttered.

"When Raditz came to Earth I was training to kill Goku. It wasn't until I got to know Gohan that I stopped wanting everyone dead."

"Really?" Krillin asked in astonishment. Piccolo was revealing more about himself now than in the many years Krillin had known him. "Well, Eighteen seemed changed by her whole experience with Cell; maybe she's reformed."

"Maybe."

"What did you call her?" Yamcha asked.

"Android 18."

"No, you said Eighteen. I knew it! You've already got pet names for each other!"

"Yamcha!"

"Hey, you said it, not me. Uh-oh."

"What?"

"Your girlfriend's talking with Master Roshi. You better get to her before he asks to see her panties and she punches a hole in his chest."

"Yeah, you're right. See you guys."

* * *

"Sorry about that, the guys just wanted to talk to me about a few things," Krillin apologized.

"I'm sure."

"Hey no, it's not like that."

"Like what?"

"Uh... You know. Like... So I saw you talking to Master Roshi! Ha! He's a hoot isn't he? You shouldn't take anything he says too seriously. Really. Anything he said about your panties or your breasts was meant purely in jest."

"Why would he say anything about my panties or breasts?"

"Wha..? Uh, because that's his... Oh man."

Android 18 had to resist the urge to smile. Krillin looked kind of cute when he was squirming. Still, she thought she should let him off the hook before he got the wrong idea about her.

"It's okay, he just said hi." Android 18 put her hand on his shoulder. She noticed that more than a few people were trying to inconspicuously glance in their direction. She didn't think it prudent to say anything.

One of the people was a small woman sitting with Gohan and a large man wearing a horned hat. She looked like a fighter, but her clothing suggested otherwise. Her eyes though, they burned with fire.

"Who's that?" Android 18 asked.

"That's Chi-chi, Goku's wife," Krillin said, relieved to be talking about something else.

"Why is she so fat?"

"She's just pregnant."

Android 18 became lost in thought. "Pregnant? She's going to have a child?"

"Yup, any day now. It's going to be pretty hard for her, raising two kids by herself. Most of us have agreed to help out. Even Piccolo and Vegeta."

For the first time since her birth in Dr. Gero's lab Android 18 began thinking about having a child. It had never been a factor before, Androids couldn't reproduce. But whereas before it had just simply been a cold hard fact, now it was something to lament. She could never have a child. She really was just a machine, metal and wires.

Android 18 was vaguely aware of a life before Dr. Gero's experiments. The good doctor, if such a term could be thought of without inducing vomiting, had thoughtfully erased her memories. Her only link to the past was her brother. Without a child she could have no link to the future. There was only now, and that made Krillin even more important to her.  
But what if he wanted to have a child? A machine like her couldn't give him one. Curse Dr. Gero!

Even more importantly, did she want one? A baby, the words touched something deep inside of her. A longing she couldn't explain. It wasn't an all encompassing desire, thank goodness, but it was there and to deny its existence was impossible.  
She looked at Krillin and for a moment the longing was obscured by another. Well that was good to know, she thought darkly. At least there was a way to scratch the itch, even if she couldn't make it go away. Imagine if she couldn't even do that, how angry would it have made her? If humans annoyed her now, then without Krillin to sooth her she probably would have just gone insane.

She needed a drink. At least Dr. Gero had given her the ability to get drunk.

--

The party went well. Trunks was delighted by all his gifts, and in some cases the boxes the gifts came in. Vegeta was more than a little annoyed by how many gifts bore Goku's image, but Bulma calmed him down, much to everyone's amazement.  
For the most part Android 18 stayed silent. She spent the time standing next to Krillin and drinking. She did take a couple minutes away from Krillin to tell Bulma and Chi-Chi how lucky they were to have such wonderful children. The confused mothers thanked her and wondered how such a nice young lady could possibly have been the reason their husbands had trained so diligently for three years.

At the end of the night many of the guests said their good-byes and flew off. Gohan and Krillin stayed behind to help clean up. Android 18 had passed out around eleven o'clock so Krillin decided to let her rest. Soon everything was done and everyone was pretty worn out.

"Well now, it's pretty late, if you boys would like to stay overnight we can fix up the guest rooms," Dr. Briefs said to Krillin and Gohan.

"Thanks," Gohan yawned. "I should probably call grandpa and tell him where I am."

"Okay, I think you know where the phone is. Krillin?"

"No way," Vegeta said. "If you think I'm going to sleep under the same roof as that tin can Shorty here calls a girlfriend you're mistaken. You can't trust her."

"I could say the same thing about you," Bulma muttered.

"That's okay," Krillin said. "I'm still wired from all the grape soda. I should be able to fly us home."

"You can use one of our cars if you'd like."

"No, that's okay. I can't drive."

"Very well then. Good night Krillin." And with that Dr. Brief's retired.

He found Android 18 still sleeping on a couch in the lobby. He poked her a couple of times but she showed no signs of stirring. He picked her up in his arms and hoped if she woke up she wouldn't think he was doing something lecherous.

Krillin was about halfway over the ocean when he realized that he had no idea where Android 18 lived.

* * *

When Android 18 woke up she was surprised to find that she didn't have a hang over. Maybe she owed Dr. Gero for more than she thought. Screw it, the animal deserved to burn in hell.

Android 18 was in a bed. Or a futon, whatever. She wondered what happened last night. The last thing she remembered was telling Bulma how wonderful Trunks was. The memory was embarrassing, but at least she liked Bulma. If that was the worst thing that had happened she wouldn't have to kill herself.

She sat up on the bed and took in her surroundings. It wasn't the largest room she had ever seen, but since the only furniture was a bed, a lamp, and a dresser it hardly mattered. The decorations were almost as sparse. The walls painted in white were almost bare except for one. The wall opposite the bed was covered in photographs held up with thumbtacks so that it was the first thing a person saw upon waking up.

Android 18 got out of the bed to take a closer look. The photos all seemed to feature Krillin and his friends. There was a particularly interesting one with the entire gang and what must have been a few hundred Nameks. Actually, if you looked at the photographs in the proper order you could chart the history of Krillin's life. There he was as a child wearing a large turtle shell with Goku, his teacher, and some dark haired woman. In another he stood with a younger Bulma, Yamcha, Goku, a pig, some cat, and the old man. Then there was a group portrait of the Earth Special forces, except instead of Vegeta there was a fat guy with a sword, oh wait, Goku was missing. She even spotted a group portrait that must have been from right before the Cell games.

One picture that she kept coming back to was one where Krillin was standing in front of Kame house with a beautiful young woman she hadn't seen at the party last night. The two had their arms around each other and looked incredibly happy. An ex-girlfriend, Android 18 told herself, must be.

She got up and walked out of the room. On the door the word "Krillin" was emblazoned on a small plate. She had spent the night in Krillin's room. God, what had happened last night?

Surely he didn't... No, Krillin wasn't like that. But why had she woken up in his bed? Could Krillin have taken advantage of her? She doubted it. If he did she would have to kill him. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Quietly she walked downstairs and was relieved to see Krillin asleep on the living room couch.  
So this was where Krillin lived. Like his room it wasn't large, but it was spacious. She could hear the sea outside and decided to investigate.

Outside she was stunned to see the sun rising over the ocean. It was a beautiful sight to behold so she sat on a lounge chair and watched it travel over the waves and into the sky. This miniature beach was incredible and Android 18 found herself contemplating spending the rest of her life in such a beautiful environment.  
A large sea turtle emerged from the ocean and made its way across the sand. It spotted her and changed directions. She watched it, fascinated by the way it slowly crawled towards her. She almost jumped out of her skin when it started to talk to her.

"Hello," it said slowly. "You must be the girl Krillin brought home last night."

"Yes," Android 18 said, gradually getting over her shock.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm called Turtle."

"Android 18."

"Oh yes, Krillin's mentioned you. It's nice to finally meet you. Are you Krillin's new girlfriend?"

Android 18 looked out at the endless waves and thought about the way Krillin looked in the picture. She wanted to see him like that with her.

A small smile settled on her lips. "Yes. Yes I am."

--

For the next three months Krillin and Android 18 would spend almost every night, and quite a number of afternoons, together. Although to others Eighteen was still aloof and more than a little rude, Krillin rarely felt any sting from her words. She even started to form friendships with his friends. Some of them anyway.  
In many ways it was the happiest time of Krillin's life. The time he spent with Android 18 was magical and he enjoyed even in the most mundane of tasks if he did them with her. He couldn't be certain but he suspected she felt the same way. She wasn't very open with her feelings, but he could sense her warming up to him.  
He could sense something in their kisses, which to his delight became more frequent when they were in private. As a result they spent a lot of time on the island. Master Roshi didn't complain about their constant presence. That was in part to his own joy at seeing his pupil happy, but mostly because Android 18 liked to wear a red bikini on the beach. Just because it was for Krillin's benefit didn't mean the old man couldn't enjoy as well. He just had to make sure Android 18 was too preoccupied with Krillin to notice an old voyeur.

As time went on Krillin's friends became used to Android 18. It got to a point where it was surprising to see her and Krillin apart.

--

Android 18 flew toward the island. She and Krillin had plans to go see a movie about large lizard things attacking Hercule. The plan was to wait until Hercule got beaten up and reached his lowest point, then leave. The entire "Hercule conquers in the end" was too depressing for Krillin. Android 18 had suggested a pre-emptive strike on Hercule's mansion. Krillin laughed at the idea, but explained how the Earth Special Forces liked to keep a low profile.

Even without violence Android 18 was looking forward to the day. Something just felt different, as though something important was going to happen.

As she approached the island she became aware of some sort of disturbance. There were loud squeals coming from the house. Alarmed, Android 18 picked up the pace. The closer she got the more things became apparent. A woman was pounding on the doors to the Kame House, trying to get in. Android 18 recognized her as the woman in the photograph with Krillin.

"Let me in," the woman shouted in an annoyingly high pitched voice. "Krillin, it's your Maron!"

"Krillin's not here," Master Roshi said from the other side of the door.

"Oh, where could my poor Krillin be?"

"Not here," Master Roshi repeated.

"Oh no! And after I spent all this time to look good for him. Where could my Krillin be? I know, he's off buying me a gift! Isn't he?"

"Yeah sure, whatever. Now go away."

"Oh he's so sweet. He knew I was coming so he decided to surprise me with a present to show me how much he loves me!"

"Yes, fine. Go away."

"I'm not leaving until Krillin gets back."

The door opened. "Fine, then come on in."

From inside the house Android 18 could hear Krillin shout.

"No don't let her in! Android 18 will be here any minute!"

"Krillin," the woman shouted gleefully. She ran inside. "I missed you so much."  
Intrigued Android 18 landed and walked into the house.

Inside she found Krillin lying on the ground. The woman had her arms wrapped around his neck and was kissing him repeatedly. Krillin saw Android 18 walk in and screamed.

"Android 18! This isn't what it looks like."

"Is it now? Then what is it?" Android 18 asked.

The woman turned, her eyes were sparkling. "Hello. Are you a friend of Krillin's?"  
"You could say that," Android 18 said. She didn't want to commit to anything until she knew why this woman was here.

"Hi, I'm Maron, Krillin's girlfriend!"

Android 18 had to struggle to steady herself. Krillin's girlfriend?! Not ex-girlfriend but girlfriend? Impossible. Even so, Android 18 felt like a piece of her heart, or whatever device Gero had placed where her heart used to be, had been torn away. She was in such a shock that she didn't even hear what Krillin said next.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm sorry is something wrong?" asked the woman.

"You're Krillin's girlfriend? Since when?"

"Oh, for ages. He taught me what love really means."

"Sounds familiar," Android 18 said darkly. She tried to see what Krillin saw in this woman, but that was obvious. This Maron woman had on a dress more revealing than Android 18's bikini. And what she had on display she had an ample supply of. So this was the kind of girl Krillin liked? Stupid and slutty? Those were two assets Android 18 was glad not to possess. "Tell me more."

"We pledged our love for each other and were going to get married but then I went away for a while. My poor Krillin must have been so lonely." Maron playfully poked the area Krillin's nose should have been. "I hope you found some way to amuse yourself."

"He did," Android 18 said darkly.

"I'm glad. But now that I'm back we can finally get married! Won't that be wonderful?"

Android 18 struggled to remain calm. "Krillin, since you obviously don't need me anymore I'll be on my way."

She didn't even wait to hear what Krillin said before she was out the door and flying away.

How could she have fallen for him? The jerk! His real girlfriend was on vacation so Krillin amused himself by making out with the machine. Oh, she bet he had a real good laugh about that with his friends. Why did she ever trust him? Of course he didn't love her, why should he when he had such a beautiful girlfriend already, a human girlfriend.

"Eighteen! Wait!"

Oh god, he was chasing after her! What did he want now, to keep her even though he was getting married? Heck why not, just shove her in the closet with all the other machines and then take her out when the wife was out of town. How could she have misjudged him so badly? A kind word and a kiss, that was all it took to fool Android 18 these days?

How could she have been so foolish?

--

The second Eighteen walked out the door Krillin was on her heels. He almost had to throw Maron off him. That silly girl had ruined everything he had spent months cultivating with Eighteen in less than ten minutes. He had to explain to Eighteen that it was all one huge misunderstanding. It had been almost four years since he had seen Maron, the girl meant as much to him as a rock.

Fortunately Eighteen only had a minute on him. He caught up to her over a series of islands a few dozen miles away. He overtook her and stopped directly in her path. She tried to shoot past him but he used his will to erect a crude force barrier, forcing her to slow down and go around.

"Eighteen, let me explain!"

"Leave me alone!"

"It's all a big misunderstanding!"

"I said leave me alone!" She threw a punch at him. He caught her fist.

"You don't understand! These past few months, they've been..."

Eighteen cut him off. "Look you've got your girlfriend now so why don't we just leave it at that. Now let me go."

"No! Not until I've explained."

"Explained what? That you were in a funk because Maron wasn't there so you decided to have some fun with the first girl that came along?"

"It wasn't like that!"

"First rule of cheating on your girlfriend, don't..."

"I wasn't cheating on anyone."

Krillin wasn't certain why, but that was the wrong thing to say. The look Eighteen gave him was so full of pain that it hurt him to see it. But he didn't turn away. Something was wrong here; she was hurt more than he knew. When she spoke again it was as though something inside of her had died.

"What was I, A toy? Something you could have fun with without angering your girlfriend? Android 18 isn't real, so it's not really cheating, right? After all, I'm not a real girl!"

"Don't you ever say that," Krillin said. He was more serious than he had ever been in his life. Even if he lost her he couldn't let her think that. Everything else, even his own happiness, was inconsequential.

Eighteen could sense the conviction in his voice and was struck silent.

"I don't know if you're going to leave or not, but don't you ever think you were anything other than a real woman to me. The way you make me feel, no machine could ever do that."

After a long pause Eighteen looked him straight in the eye. "I don't believe you."

Krillin could sense it; she was trying to block him out of her life. And for some reason she was trying to deny the humanity she pretended not to have. She was trying to become an android once more, cold, uncaring, and without love.

He couldn't let that happen.

Unable to think of anything else he kissed her.

Suddenly afire with rage and anger Android 18 pushed him away. How dare he, after he betrayed her like that?! She should have known. Her instincts about him had been right. He wasn't any different than any of these other miserable human freaks.

"I'm no one's play thing! Go back to your girlfriend and never talk to me again."

"No! Darn it, she's not my girlfriend. I don't love her! I love you!"

"Shut up! I hate you!"

Krillin grabbed her arms. "Listen to me, Maron means nothing! I haven't seen her in four years! I haven't even thought about her since I met you! You mean more to me than anyone."

"Stop lying to me!" Android 18 screamed, trying desperately to break free of his grip. Her eyes were shut as she struggled so that she wouldn't have to look at his face. She was able to get an arm free and began to punch him in rhythm to her cries. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

His arm fell away from her side and she opened her eyes to see what had happened. Krillin wasn't there anymore. Confused, she looked around and spotted him falling towards the ground. He wasn't floating; he was just falling, as though he wasn't able to fly.

As though he had been hit one too many times and had blacked out.

"Oh my god," a suddenly frightened Android 18 whispered to herself. If he couldn't fly then a fall from this high up could kill him. She quickly plunged after him. 'Let him be okay', she prayed. 'Please, he can't die, not now, not like this. Not because of me!'

Android 18 was able to catch him before he crashed into the surface below. His body was limp.

"I'm sorry!" she screamed at him. She shook him gently, trying to wake him up. "Krillin?"

Her fears were confirmed, he was unconscious. If she hadn't gone after him he would have died. The thought of it sickened her. It didn't matter if he was marrying someone else or not, she just wanted him to be okay.

She flew back to Kame House with Krillin in her arms. When she arrived at the island the green haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Master Roshi and Turtle were lounging on the beach.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back," Turtle said. "We were afraid Krillin wouldn't get to you in time to explain."

"Explain?"

"About that Maron."

"Yes, she's a beautiful girl," sighed Master Roshi. "Not the brightest girl in the world, but she makes up for it in other ways. Of course Krillin hasn't wanted anything to do with her since she left him four years ago."

"She ran off with another man," said Turtle.

"Really," Android 18 said. "Where is she now? Krillin needs... somebody."

"Her boyfriends came to pick her up," explained Master Roshi. "Same thing happened last time she tried to patch things up with Krillin. Of course he wasn't here then, he was off fighting the Androids. No offense."

"None taken."

"Hey, is he okay?" Master Roshi asked, pointing at Krillin.

She looked at Krillin's peaceful sleeping form in her arms. She had misjudged him again, both times it had almost cost Krillin his life, at her hands no less.

"I don't know," she said, worried.

"What happened?"

"I hit him. Repeatedly.

"He's fine then. Boy took punches from Goku. If you survive that you can survive anything. I should know." Master Roshi went back to lounging. "Just put him in his room."

Android 18 carried Krillin through the house, up the stairs, being careful to avoid hitting Krillin's head against anything, and straight to Krillin's room. She laid him on the bed and pulled the sheets over him, gazing at him longingly.

She had almost killed him. Only a little while ago she had wanted him out of her life forever, now the prospect of losing him made her scared. What kind of hold did this man have on her? Why did she like it so much?

After a quiet moment of contemplation she locked the door to Krillin's bedroom. Then Android 18 got into the bed, wrapped her arms around Krillin, and fell asleep.

--

When Krillin woke up it was dark and he was trapped. At first he thought he was still trying to fight his way out of the darkness but then he realized that there was a faint light illuminating the world, moonlight. He began to recognize shapes, he was in his room. It didn't explain why he was trapped though.

He brought his arms up to the restraints around his chest and felt the warmth of someone's hands. Unable to break free of the hugging arms surrounding him he began to turn.

Please, he thought, don't let it be Maron.

His heart leapt for joy when he saw Eighteen's face inches from his own. Asleep she looked serene, her features free of the normally annoyed look she gave everyone. In fact her lips looked so full and inviting. He just wanted to lean forward and brush them with his own. To rejoice in how what they tasted as his tongue parted them and...

Eighteen's eyes shot open.

"Gah! I didn't try anything I swear!"

"That's a shame."

"Look, about Maron..."

She placed her fingers over his lips to shush him. "Shh. It's okay. I know she's not your girlfriend."

"Really? That's good."

"And I don't want to be either."

"Oh." Krillin was disappointed. He cursed Maron and he cursed his luck. He couldn't blame Eighteen though, she had been hurt, and it wasn't easy to forget something like that.

"I love you," he said. He put everything he had behind it.

"I know," Eighteen said. "I love you too."

"But not enough to be my girlfriend, right?" Krillin said sadly.

"Oh no, baby, I didn't mean it like that," she said, stroking the tears off his cheek.

"I want us to get married. I don't want to be your girlfriend; I want to be your wife.

Eighteen smiled at him and Krillin smiled back. Then he leaned forward and rejoiced.

--

The time had come for Trunks' third birthday. Krillin and Eighteen landed on the front lawn of the Brief's residence. Krillin was carrying Master Roshi and Eighteen was carrying Turtle. Bulma ran up to greet them.

"Hey you guys, you're the last ones to make it, everybody else is inside."  
Krillin put his passenger down.

"Inside?" Master Roshi asked. "We're not holding the festivities outside again?"

"No, Dad wanted to show off his new environmental control device so we're holding the party in the big dining room."

"Makes sense, I guess," Master Roshi conceded.

"Yeah, come on."

They all followed Bulma's lead. Eighteen held onto the normally slow Turtle.  
"So why're you guys so late? It's not really like you."

"The kids wanted to take care of some things before we left."

"Really? You two weren't doing anything inappropriate, were you?" Bulma teased.

"Not really, no," Krillin said.

Master Roshi snorted. "You should hear them Bulma, some nights I can't get to sleep!"

"They're not that loud," Turtle said.

"You're just saying that because you sleep outside. I'm two bedrooms down, trust me, it's noisy!"

To say Bulma was shocked would be an understatement.

"Krillin! You and Eighteen are... I don't believe it."

"You better believe it," Master Roshi muttered. "You'd think after the first couple of months they'd start to pace themselves. I'm beginning to regret the day she moved in."

"You don't complain when I cook the meals," Eighteen countered.

"Did I miss something?" Bulma asked. "When did Eighteen move into the Kame house?"

"What're you talkin...?" Master Roshi started then tapered off. "Oh right. They wanted to keep it a secret."

"No point in keeping it a secret any longer," Krillin sighed.

"Whatever," Eighteen shrugged.

"Secret? What secret?" Bulma asked.

"Eighteen and I are married."

"What?! Impossible."

"Typical," Eighteen said.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? How long?"

"Seven months. The only ones we told were Master Roshi and Seventeen. We kinda wanted to keep it under wraps. I mean people still aren't used to Eighteen yet."

"You obviously are."

"That's different. We're in love."

"Really? Congratulations. Don't worry; I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks."

They walked into the dining room, which had been cleared of its normal furniture for the party, and were greeted by stares. The room was silent except for baby Goten's shrieks of laughter.

"Uh, hey guys," Krillin offered weakly.

"They know," Eighteen said.

"What? How?"

Dende coughed and pointed at his ears. "Sorry guys, I overheard and accidentally repeated some of it in surprise. Please don't be mad."

"Wonderful," Eighteen said dryly.

--  
**Three Years Later**  
--

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked through the bathroom door.

"Fine!" Eighteen shouted from the other side.

"Are you sure?"

"Ye... Oh God!"

Krillin listened as for what seemed like the fiftieth time that morning his wife threw up. Despite his wife's assurances Krillin was worried.

"Honey, I think we should take you to a doctor."

"Like any doctor's going to understand how my body work... Aack!"

Fifty-one.

"Okay, what about Bulma? She's really good with robotics. And she designed that remote to activate your self-destruct device. When you still had one."

"I don't need to see... Not again!"

Fifty-two.

"Honey?"

"Call Bulma."

* * *

After Bulma ran her tests she asked to talk to Krillin alone. Eighteen told him to go, she would be fine, so he followed Bulma to an adjoining lab.

"Okay Bulma, give it to me straight, what's wrong?"

"She's pregnant."

"What?! How? I know she's only part robot, but how?!"

Bulma rolled a large set of blueprints onto the table. It looked like the building plans for a robot, an android. Over the diagram for the head Eighteen's face had been lightly traced over the plans.

"Well you know how Cell was an android grown from cells? So he was an android, but an organic one. Doctor Gero must have used 17 and 18 as test subjects to create Cell. They're bodies have been modified, stronger skin, unbreakable skeleton, denser muscles, but all the modifications are organic. She's even got manufactured hormonal systems that work more efficiently. It's really very fascinating.

"As far as I can tell Gero didn't want any screw ups so all he did was modify the pre-existing template of her body. From what he learned doing that he designed Cell. Except for a couple patches of metal and plastic everything in 18's body is organic, including her reproductive system. In fact, from what I can tell, that's the only part of her body Gero didn't monkey with.

"I think the reason Shenron couldn't make 17 and 18 human is, because for all intents and purposes, they are human. Only they're humans that could take out entire planets without working up a sweat."

"Yeah, well these days that would apply to Tien and me."

"I guess it would. Good thing you're both good guys. So do you want to give her the good news or should I?"

"I think you should do it. I'm not sure she'd believe me."

Bulma shrugged. "Okay."

--

"Okay," Bulma said. "Krillin asked me to give you the diagnosis, are you ready?"

"Wait," Android 18 said. She took Krillin's hand in hers and squeezed it tight. "Okay."

"You're pregnant."

"I'm what?"

"Pregnant."

"That's impossible."

"Honey, Bulma explained it to me. It's very possible."

Android 18 looked down at her abdomen in wonder. Dare she believe it? It was a miracle, no more than that, it was a sign, the ultimate sign. It meant she really wasn't a machine. Krillin, it was all Krillin's doing, he had shown her the truth, first by loving her and now by giving her this gift.

She turned to her husband, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. "You did this to me," she said.

"What?!"

"You did this to me," she repeated. "Thank you."

"I... I love you." He kissed her hand.

"Let's name it Marron," she said.

Krillin stared at her. "What?!"

"Let's name it Marron. If it wasn't for her we might never have married."

"Okay, I'm missing something. We're talking about my ex-girlfriend, the insane and stupid one?"

"Yes. Don't you remember? That's the day you told me I was real."

"You are real."

Android 18 nodded. "Thanks to you."

* * *

END PART 2


	3. Chapter 3

_Alright, folks! Time for the third and final part! Enjoy!_

START PART 3  
THE TWO ANDROID 18'S

"I'm looking for someone named Dende."

"Dende? What do you want with him Earth-man?"

"I need his help."

The old Namek considered this. "Why should we help you?"

"My name is Trunks. I believe you know my parents, Bulma and Vegeta."

"Vegeta?!" The Namek all but shrieked. "Bulma married Vegeta?!"

"Yes," the young half-Saiyan said. "I was born shortly before he died."

The Namek stopped laughing. "Ah, I see. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. May I speak to Dende now?"

"Of course, this way."

The Namek took the young man to the village. Nameks of all ages and sizes began to crowd around them. For some it was the first time they had seen an Earth man, for others it was a grim reminder of what their people had endured.

"My people," the Namek called out. "This is Trunks, son of Bulma!"

The crowd rumbled in respect.

"And Vegeta."

Giggles from the crowd.

"He has come to seek Dende."

A teenaged Namek, slightly taller than Trunks, moved through the gathering. The people parted as he walked to the front of the crowd.

"I'm Dende, how may I help you?"

"I need you to come to Earth and become our Guardian. I know you've been studying, and I know you can make Dragon Balls. We need them on Earth, desperately."

"I don't understand, how could you know what I've..."

"Please, let me explain," Trunks said. "A little over three years after the Nameks left Earth two androids came to life and killed the Earth Special Forces. The only survivor was Gohan and they killed him thirteen years later. I went back in time and helped another world fight against the Androids before they could kill anyone. I became stronger and when I returned to my world I was able to defeat the Androids that plagued my Earth. Now I need the Dragon Balls to wish Gohan, and everyone else the androids killed, back."

Trunks realized that Dende was staring at him in horror. He hoped it was because of the severity of the Androids actions and not his own. Trunks had no choice but to continue.

"Back on the other Earth, Piccolo fused with Kame, their guardian, to become stronger and combat the Androids. When that happened the Dragon Balls disappeared. Goku traveled to Planet Namek and recruited Dende to be the Earth's new Guardian. He created new Dragon Balls and they were able to use them to wish back everyone that had been killed by the Androids. That's how I know you've been studying to become a guardian, that's how I know you can make Dragon Balls. Please, will you come back with me to Earth?"

Dende smiled. "I can sense that you are a good person. I will help you."

* * *

"These are Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked. He held one up, it didn't look like much. He had been surprised when Dende was able to not only revive the magical spheres but call them to him. It seemed as though the additional years of training Dende received in this universe had been most useful.

"Yes, you simply gather them all in one place and call upon the dragon, like this. Eternal Dragon, I summon you to grant me my wish!"

The sky turned black and lightning filled the sky. Around them the impressive light show that accompanied the splendor of the summoning became an all encompassing environment. A beam of light shot out from the assembled spheres of gold and pierced the dark sky. Within the beam the immortal dragon materialized.

Trunks was impressed by the sight of the dragon. It was larger than anything he had ever seen, and the presence of the serpent like creature of legend was overwhelming.

**"Reflect upon your desires, for I shall grant three wishes that are within my power,"** a majestic voice boomed from the heavens.

"I wish for you to resurrect Gohan!" Trunks declared.

**"So be it!"  
**

A blinding light flooded the platform of the Guardian's flying fortress. Trunks had to avert his eyes. There was movement within the light, faint shadows dancing back and forth.

When the light faded Gohan stood in front of them, smiling.

"Gohan?" Dende asked. "Is it really you?"

"Dende!" Gohan said cheerfully. "Long time no see. Man you've grown."

"You too," Dende said, slapping his friend on the back. "What happened to your arm?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later when things are more relaxed. Trunks!"

"Gohan," Trunks said. There was so much he wanted to say, but it could wait for later. Trunks walked up to his teacher and placed his hands on the older man's shoulders. "I did it. I stopped the androids."

"I watched what you did from the other dimension. I'm impressed."

"Thank you Gohan."

"No thank..."

_**"Trunks?! Trunks?!"**_ a voice called out as though from nowhere.

Trunks took out his radio and brought it to his lips. "What is it, Mom?"

_**"We've just gotten reports that Android 18 has been spotted flying over four different continents."  
**_

"Android 18? Are the reports confirmed?"

_**"Most of them. It looks like she escaped death."  
**_

"It's okay mom, we can take care of her."

_**"We?"  
**_

"I got the Dragon Balls, mom. Gohan's back."

_**"Gohan?"**_ Bulma asked. Trunks wasn't sure, but he thought she was crying. _**"I...I... That's wonderful. But we can catch up later. First you have to take care of that android."**_

"Gotcha. Trunks out." Trunks smiled and turned to Gohan.

"You ready? It looks like this time we're the hunters."

Gohan smiled. "Ready."

The two Saiyans ran off the platform and flew away, searching for their prey.  
**"Excuse me,"** the Dragon said to Dende. **"You've still got two more wishes."**

"Ah, well I think we should start with..."

"Giving me an escape plan."

Dende turned. There floating at the end of the platform was a blonde haired woman in tattered clothing. Her eyes were hard, as though they had never seen a day of true happiness. Yet despite her pain she had an aura of aloofness about her.

"Wh-who are you?" Dende asked frightened.

The woman smirked, an action that did not inspire confidence in the new Guardian.

"Call me Eighteen," she said.

"Eighteen? Android 18?"

"If you wish. But better yet, let me wish. Dragon can you grant any wish?!"

**"Yes,"** the dragon's voice boomed.

"Then I wish to escape the champions of this world."

**"So be it."  
**

* * *

Android 18 found herself floating in the air. She recognized the geography below her, but that hardly mattered. She had to see if the dragon had truly granted her wish. She flew off in the direction of the nearest city.

When she got in view she was stunned. The city was a gleaming mass of productivity. People walked freely in the streets without fear. Buildings rose into the sky. The streets were free of rubble. Wherever the Dragon had sent her it was a place free of fear and destruction. It had never seen the touch of the twin terrors, Androids 17 and 18.

Oh what _fun_ she could have!

Where to attack first? The possibilities were endless.

Then she saw it and the possibilities narrowed.

A large dome in the middle of the city with the huge logo of Capsule Corp. emblazoned on the side. Capsule Corporation, that meant the rebels. That kid who so easily killed Android 17 and had Android 18 on the brink of death. How could such a place be here, on this new world?

How? She and Android 17 had destroyed it. People had tried to stop them, that fat guy with the sword and the one armed boy. The boy had been able to rescue some of the people, but the fat guy had been torn apart. She could still remember the glee she took in blasting him to oblivion. The satisfaction of grinding the last brick of the Champions' headquarters into dust.  
It had to be her first target. She flew over the city until she was right above the fortress and let loose an energy blast. She smiled. That should get their attention.

--

Bulma was watching cartoons with Trunks when she felt the house shake violently. Fearing the worst Bulma picked her son up and held him close to her chest.

"Mom? What's going on?"

"I don't know," Bulma said worried. "Let's hope it's just an Earthquake."

"I think that was an energy blast."

"Don't say that!" Bulma shouted. She knew he was probably right. She had been exposed to enough explosions to know what they felt like. Still she had to hope for the best.

Vegeta crashed through the wall and looked at them. He had an angry, hungry look in his eye. She knew that look; it was the same one he gave to Goku all the time. It was the look meaning he wanted nothing more than to beat someone into a pulp and prove to them that he was the greatest warrior of all time. Anyone who disagreed had to be punished.

"That was an attack. You two stay here! I'll take care of this."

She watched her husband crash through another wall so that he could get outside. It was expensive to have him in the house, but sometimes she really appreciated him. At times like this it was good to know Vegeta would protect them.

Probably.

**--**

Android 18 watched as a figure exploded out of the domed fortress. He landed on the front lawn and immediately looked up. Android 18 recognized him as one of the Earth Special Forces, the angry man with the black hair. He had been so arrogant that the Androids had taken remarkably great fun in killing him.

Now here he was again. Wherever the Dragon had sent her he had provided her with some playmates. She would get to kill them all over again. She needed to find the boy though, kill him before he became too strong. But this one, the name Vegeta rang somewhere in her memory, he was nothing.

Even so, she could use the practice.

He looked up and seemed to recognize her.

"Agh! The tin can! I knew it! You may have had everyone else fooled, but not me. So, you finally decided to show your true colors. So be it. I've been waiting for the moment when I could fight you again. Prepare to die."

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to attack?" Android 18 asked, bored of his words.

"Fine. Take this! Big Bang!"

Vegeta flicked his wrist and released a concentrated blast of energy at her.  
Android 18 smiled. She let the blast fly towards her, raised her palms, and absorbed the energy. She felt it flow through her, strengthening her. Her power began to grow. She felt invincible.

"Now it's my turn," she said with a mischievous smile. "I hope you're ready to..."  
Vegeta wasn't there. Surely he couldn't have just disappeared. Where had he gotten to? It took her a couple seconds to absorb the energy blast, but surely he couldn't have gone far in such a limited amount of time.

She was struck from behind with a blow so powerful that it sent her hurtling into the pavement below. When she struck the ground a large crater was formed from the impact.  
She tried to get up. It was hard; the wind had been knocked out of her.  
Who had hit her? She had never been hit so hard before, not even by the blonde haired kid. No one human could hit that hard. She had enough energy left to flip herself over.

In the sky Vegeta, his hair now blonde, grinned down at her. "Pathetic," he said. "Here I've gotten more powerful and you've stayed weak. All that time playing mommy must have rotted your skills. I'll tell you what, I'll give you a chance to attack me. Go ahead."

Angered, Android 18 stood up. No one struck her and lived. No one! Especially not some second rate defender of Earth she had already killed. She leapt up and charged her energy into a blast strong enough to level a city. She accelerated toward the arrogant bastard and let loose her furry, throwing the blast at him with...

Vegeta slammed his fist into her midsection. Unable to concentrate and control the energy blast, Android 18 was forced to let it go, particles charging around her.

"You said I could attack," she protested weakly.

"I lied," Vegeta said with scorn. "Don't tell me you've become stupid as well."  
He disappeared in a blur of motion. Unable to move Android 18 was forced to fall as around her the energy she once controlled decided to explode.

Her body was thrown to the front lawn of the Brief's residence. She didn't move. Her eyes were closed, signaling her defeat.

Vegeta walked up to her and placed his boot onto her throat. "You're not even a challenge anymore," he said disappointedly. He pressed down with his foot, ready to end the Android's life.

"Stop!" Bulma yelled from the front door.

Vegeta spun. "Darn it woman! Don't interfere."

"You just can't kill her."

"Like hell I can't. She attacked my home, her death is my choice."

"But... But what about Krillin? He deserves to know what happened. She's his wife."

"He's probably dead."

"We can't be sure. Maybe she's under someone's control. Maybe he can reason with her. We've got to keep her alive, we owe Krillin that much."

"We don't owe that shrimp anything."

"Shut up! Until we know what's going on you don't touch a hair on her head. Now help me get her into the lab so we can restrain her."

"You're taking her into our home?! Are you insane woman?! What if she tries to kill us again?!"

"Then you'll just have to stop her. That shouldn't be a problem for a strong Saiyan Warrior should it?"

* * *

"Mommy!"

Eighteen was awoken by a young bundle of energy landing next to her. Marron looked down at her mother and smiled.

"Mommy!"

"Shh, we don't want to wake daddy," Eighteen whispered.

Marron covered her mouth with both hands. Eighteen smiled and sat up.

"What do you want?"

"Breakfast," Marron whispered. "I'm hungry."

"Breakfast, huh? What should we make?"

Marron broke out in a smile that covered almost half her face. "Pancakes."

"Race you to the kitchen."

Marron giggled. She jumped off the bed and ran downstairs. In no particular rush, Eighteen took her time climbing out of bed and stretching some of the cricks out of her neck. She took a moment to look at her sleeping husband and shook her head. Ever since Marron had been born he tried to sleep in on Saturdays. Eighteen was pretty sure that he was actually up and just didn't want to cook breakfast, but so far she hadn't been able to catch him in anything.

"Krillin," she whispered. There was no reaction.

"Krillin," she said a little louder. Still no reaction.

"Krillin!" she shouted. Nothing. He had to be faking his deep sleep, had to be. One day she would leave Marron at a friend's house overnight on Friday and make sure. It would have to wait though, these days Eighteen was loath to spend a night away from Marron. At three the cute little blonde imp was still Eighteen's precious miracle of love.

When Eighteen finally made it downstairs Marron was sitting at the only table on the first level of the house, bouncing on the couch.

"I won mommy!" Marron declared proudly, her blonde pigtails flailing about wildly.

"Yes you did," Eighteen conceded. Faking forgetfulness she looked at the cupboards in the kitchen. "Now what was I going to make for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," Marron reminded her.

"Oh yes. I wonder if any good little girls want to help me."

"Me! Me!" Marron cried.

"Okay, you get the eggs and I'll get the pancake mix."

"Yay!" Marron shouted, running towards the refrigerator.

"No running in the kitchen," Eighteen reminded her daughter sternly.

Marron slowed down to a walk. Before long Marron was happily stirring the pancake batter as Eighteen heated up the griddle. When Marron stopped having fun stirring Eighteen took the batter and poured the pancakes. She told Marron to go watch cartoons while she did, not wanting Marron to learn how use the stove just yet.

In the short pauses when she could just let the pancakes sit, Eighteen contemplated how much things had changed over the past three years. Not just the superficial things like Krillin finally letting his hair grow out. (Okay, he only did that because she insisted during one of her less than graceful hormonal imbalances during pregnancy, but she had to admit, he looked good.) Who in their right mind would have guessed that Eighteen's daughter would end up more innocent and cheery than Goten?

Eighteen sighed. Krillin had changed her. Before she met him the mere sight of an annoyingly cute little girl would have inspired nothing more in her than a desire for target practice. Now her life revolved around her family. She suspected that without them she was nothing, and she was okay with that. (Actually she suspected that without them she was a cold blooded killing machine, but dwelling on that caused too many painful memories. Sometimes she woke up screaming and Krillin had to sooth her until she could go back to sleep.)

Parts of the old her were still there. The sarcasm for one, a preference for violence before rational thought, she had a hard time sympathizing with people if she didn't know them and the chronically stupid still annoyed her. There was a reason she preferred to stay aloof when dealing with others. Krillin said that was pretty standard fare for humans, so she didn't give it much thought.

But she was also a loving mother and wife. Sometimes she hardly believed it herself. Her, Eighteen, making an effort to be nice. Of course she didn't always succeed. Too often some pent up anger or annoyance revealed itself, but she tried hard not to show Marron that side of her.

When Marron was finally settled and eating her pancakes, Eighteen began to clean up the kitchen. The phone rang. Eighteen dropped the pot she had been prepared to scrub in the sink.

"I've got it," she called out. If she didn't announce it little Marron would have ran to the phone and regaled the person on the other end with a long story about something completely pointless before ever asking who it was.

The phone rang, and again. And again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Eighteen said, the slightest hint of annoyance creeping into her voice. When she finally got to the phone it had probably rung a dozen times. They needed to get an answering machine.

"What is it?"

"Is...Eighteen?!"

"Yes." That was weird, the person on the other end sounded positively astonished that Eighteen was picking up the phone. Everyone who knew her knew she was married to Krillin.

"It's Bulma. Is that really you?"

"Yes."

"Really? This isn't a recording."

"It's me, what's so strange about that?"

"Uh, I think maybe you and Krillin better come over. Now!"

"Can it wait?"

"Not really, no. This is really important. Really important."

"I just don't think..."

"Eighteen, we caught another android."

Eighteen let the phone sit next to her ear. Another android? How was that possible? She and her brother killed Dr. Gero; he couldn't have made another android.

"What kind is it?" she finally got out.

"Uh, it's a lot like you actually."

Oh no. Damn that Gero! It wasn't enough that he made her and her brother's lives hell; he had to do it to someone else as well. This was important. Really important.  
She went upstairs and opened the door to Master Roshi's room. He was snoozing away, apparently having fallen asleep while looking at an underwear catalog. Since his futon was on the floor she poked him with her foot. When that resulted in nothing she kicked him.

"I didn't mean to touch you there," he muttered as he awoke. He rubbed his eyes.

"Oh Eighteen, it's you. What's going on?"

"I need you to watch Marron. Something important's come up."

"Sure, no problem, me and the little one'll have fun playing together."

"Good."

That taken care of she walked to the room she shared with Krillin and picked him up. She didn't have time to wake him now. If he woke up on the flight over there, fine, otherwise she would wake him when they got to the Brief's residence.  
She went downstairs where Marron was still working on her pancakes. Little Marron giggled when she saw her mother carrying her father in her arms.

"Marron, me and daddy have to go somewhere. Mister Roshi is going to take care of you today, so do what Turtle says."

"Okay Mommy! Bye!"

Then it was out the door and to the beach. Turtle was crawling from the sea, almost as if he was being scheduled by her mind.

"Turtle, Roshi's watching Marron so keep an eye on them will you?"

"Okay Eighteen," Turtle said.

Eighteen took off into the air.

**--**

"I'm just sayin' you coulda woken me up," Krillin complained, rubbing the back of his head.

"We didn't have time."

"Yeah, you say that now, but do you know what it's like to wake up with the wind in your face at 300 miles per hour?"

"We weren't going that fast. Don't be a wussy."

"I mean a new android is important and all, but you could have woken me up."

"I'll make it up to you later. Just shut up about it."

"I'm just sayin'," Krillin grumbled.

* * *

Bulma stopped at the doors to the lab. "Are you two sure you're ready for this?"

Android 18's heart raced. "Yes."

Krillin shrugged. "No time like the present, I guess."

"Okay." Bulma swung the doors open to reveal Vegeta standing cautiously over a figure tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

"Oh sweet Mary, there's two of her," Krillin exclaimed, jumping back. Then he thought about it and smiled. "There's two of her."

Eighteen was speechless. There, the new android, it was her.

"Wha... How?" Krillin asked.

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me," said Bulma. "She just showed up out of nowhere and tried to blow up the house."

"She attacked you?"

"Yeah. We assumed Eighteen had gone bad again until she picked up the phone."

"You have any idea honey?" Krillin asked his wife. She seemed more shocked than any of them.

"Kill it," she said.

"What?"

"Kill it. It's evil."

"Honey, don't you think you're being a bit hasty."

"No, we have to kill it."

"Are you sure?" Bulma asked.

"You heard her, woman. She said to kill it." Vegeta begin to power up an energy blast.

"Vegeta, would you be patient! I'd like to know where she came from before we just decide to kill her."

"You're insane woman! It tried to kill us!"

"And it didn't get very far, did it. We don't have anything to worry about. Aren't you at all curious about how an exact double of Eighteen got here?"

"No."

"There are differences," Krillin said.

"You're kidding. I don't see anything," Bulma said, surprised.

"They're subtle, but you can see them. This 18 looks the same as Eighteen did when we first met. Mine has aged a little."

Eighteen turned from her examination of the double. "Gee thanks."

"What? I like you a little older. It's sexy."

"Why don't you ever say nice thing like that to me?" Bulma asked her husband.

"Oh please, next you'll want me to write you poetry. I'm a Saiyan warrior, not a tree hugger."

"It wouldn't hurt you to let up once in a while."

"A true warrior doesn't let up!"

"They don't pay attention either," 18 said.

Everyone turned to see the formerly tied up Android 18 standing behind Vegeta. She had her hand on Vegita's neck.

"Now be a good boy and stand still while I absorb all your energy."

"Oh god, she's got energy absorbers too?" Krillin moaned. "What is she, the upgrade?"

"Vegeta?" Bulma asked, worried.

"Woman, quit sniveling," Vegeta said through gritted teeth. Summoning up his strength he broke free of the Android's grip and hurled himself forward to his wife's feet.

"Vegeta!"

"I'll be fine, just give me a second to regain my strength."

"That was refreshing," the Android smirked. "Now let's see who else wants to play. Hmmm, the bald shrimp's grown some hair and... What the hell?"

Eighteen and her counterpart locked stares, each looking at the other in nothing less than utter shock.

Eighteen wanted to scream. This was her; this was who she would have become if it hadn't been for Krillin. This was the her that had never known love, never known unconditional acceptance, never known what it felt like to hold a beautiful little girl in her arms and hear her say "Mommy". This was the woman she had nightmares about.

"Oh look, it's me," the Android said. "Tell me, what happened in this world? Why didn't you kill all the obstacles so you could enjoy yourself?"

"Cell." Eighteen had never thought about it. If it hadn't been for Cell then she would have eventually killed Krillin. She couldn't believe she actually owed something to that monster.

"What?"

"Cell. He came from the future. He absorbed me and Seventeen. The others saved us."

"And for that you didn't kill them. You're too sentimental. Imagine the fun you could have had if you had only done this."

The Android released an energy blast aimed at Krillin. Eighteen tried to jump in front of it but Krillin pushed her out of the way. He released his own energy blast and blocked the Android's.

"Krillin!" Eighteen screamed.

"It's okay honey. It'll take more than one shot from an Android to do me in."

The Android was staring at Krillin as though he had just pulled a rabbit from thin air. "What the hell is going on here? You shouldn't have been strong enough to stop that?!"

"Lady, you might look like my wife, but you sure aren't as smart as her."

"Wife? I don't know how you managed that, but let me do her a favor."

The Android 18 shot forward, flying towards Krillin faster than even he could dodge.

She tackled him and took him through the wall.

"Krillin!" Eighteen shouted and flew after them.

* * *

They had ended up in the desert. The desert of all places. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see.

Krillin was having troubles. The hard part wasn't the strength of Android 18, she wasn't much stronger than his wife, but that he couldn't let her hands touch him or she would drain his energy. So instead of just fighting he had to split his concentration between the fight and where her hands were at all times.

Still, Krillin was more than holding his own. He blocked every blow she tried to land on him. He countered all of her energy attacks. And every now and then he could get into his head that this wasn't his wife and throw a punch or kick of his own. He didn't dare try to use one of his own energy attacks against her for fear that she would absorb it and become stronger.

After a flurry of punches and kicks, none of which connected, Android 18 disengaged.

"This doesn't make sense, you shouldn't be this strong," Android 18 screamed in frustration.

"Lady, you really didn't do your homework. Meanwhile I'm betting I know a lot about you."

"You wish, little man!"

"You were born in Dr. Gero's lab and the first thing you and your brother did was kill your creator. You've got a feeling that you had a life before that, but thanks to the good doctor you can't remember any of it. I'm betting the first thing you did when you got out was meet up with a decimated special forces unit. Only one of them escaped. For the next thirteen years you terrorized the world, killing everyone you came across. Then one day a purple haired kid, someone you hunted for a long time, appeared in front of you, turned his hair blonde and served your butts on a plate."

"How the hell do you know that?" Android 18 demanded.

"Like I said, I know all about you. Including..."

He moved quickly, and he hoped to Android 18 it was just a blur. She didn't turn, so he knew he had tricked her. He stopped behind her and slowly traced his finger down the line on her back that only he knew about.

"What do you think you're doing...? Oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" she moaned in pleasure.

"Yup, same sensitive spot," Krillin grinned. "Almost identical. Almost."

As Android 18 was recovering he slammed his fist into her side. She grabbed her ribs and groaned in pain.

Krillin threw a kick but she caught it.

"You can't hurt me," Android 18 hissed. "I killed you already."  
Krillin gasped as he felt his energy draining from his body. He was getting weaker and weaker and...

"Get your hands off my husband!"

The Android 18 turned, surprised by the sudden scream and was tackled from the side by Eighteen. The evil double's hands were torn from Krillin by the sheer force of the blow, sending both Androids hurtling to the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" Android 18 demanded. "I'm freeing us of this baggage you call a husband. Then we can go and punish the humans for what they've done to us."

"Never," Eighteen spat. "You think you're nothing but a machine. So you go around attacking the humans because you hate them for being alive. You think they're your enemies, so you take them out before they can hurt you."

"What's wrong with that?" Android 18 asked as she struggled to stand up.

"Because you're wrong. You're human." Eighteen, slightly weaker than Android 18, was having a harder time of standing up. She was managing though.  
"You can love, you can be loved, you can bear a child. A beautiful child that loves you unconditionally just as you love her."

"Don't be stupid, no one loves us."

"Krillin does."

"He just wants something from you. Or he's afraid of you."

"No, he loves me."

"How can you believe that?"

"My heart tells me."

"Your heart," Android 18 laughed. She reached forward and tore off Eighteen's shirt. Android 18 stabbed Eighteen's naked chest with her finger. "There's no heart there. Only a machine made by Dr. Gero."

Eighteen took Android 18's hand and placed it over her heart. "Feel that."  
Android 18 held her breath as she felt the steady heartbeat beneath her palm. It was warm. "What is that?" she asked, fascinated.

"My heart. It beats for Krillin and my daughter Marron. They are my love."  
Android 18 took her palm away. "They are what make you weak. They're going to hurt you like you've never been hurt."

"They would never hurt me."

"Yes they will. If you love them like you say, they're going to make you hurt more than anyone else ever could."

"How could they do that?"

"They will die."

Eighteen froze.

"They will age when you won't. They will die when you won't. Your love makes you vulnerable and one day they're going to hurt you more than anyone else."  
It was true, Eighteen realized. She was immortal, mechanical. Krillin and Marron would grow old and feeble, they would die and she would always be the same. No matter how much love they gave her, one day they would be gone, and she would be all alone.

"That's why you've got to hurt them first," Android 18 whispered to her.  
Eighteen shook her head, trying to clear away the cobwebs caused by Android 18's words. No, they may leave her one day, but today, here, now, they were with her. They loved her. She loved them.

"I'll kill Krillin and then your daughter," Android 18 said.

Eighteen tackled Android 18 to the ground. "Like hell you will."

Eighteen, fueled by a need to protect her family and the rage of knowing that she had failed them, even if it had been for a moment, wailed away on her counterpart with a series of hard punches. Any connection the two might have shared was inconsequential when stacked against the love Eighteen felt for her husband and daughter.

Android 18 wasn't going to have any of that. She wrapped her hands around Eighteen's arms and began to drain her energy. Eighteen cried out in pain as Android 18 pushed her counterpart to one side.

Eighteen was saved when an energy blast hit Android 18 from behind, sending her flying into the desert sand. Eighteen looked up and smiled with relief.  
Krillin stood some twenty feet away, partially recovered from his own draining. He raised his hand over his hands and created a disc of light.

"Destructo Disc!" he shouted and hurled the disc at Android 18.

The evil android laughed and raised her palms out to absorb the energy. The disc split into four smaller discs and attacked her from all sides. Unable to position the energy absorbers in her palms correctly, Android 18 was forced to take the entire brunt of the attack.

She fell to the ground, severely weakened.

"Finish her!" Eighteen screamed.

Krillin took the stance to create another disc.

Android 18 looked up and shrieked. She ran towards Eighteen. Krillin hesitated, not wanting to accidentally hit his wife with his attack. Android 18 smiled and tore off her own shirt.

Krillin almost lost his concentration at the sight, but in a testament to his skills he was able to create another Destructo Disc.

Android 18 leapt onto Eighteen and tried to latch on with her energy absorbers. The short fight sent up a cloud of sand that momentarily blocked Krillin's vision of the two women. When everything had settled the two topless androids were standing apart by a distance of six feet, more than enough room for Krillin to fire the disc.

"Get her Krillin!" Eighteen shouted.

"No! Get her!"

Eighteen blanched. What was Android 18 doing? Then she saw Krillin looking back and forth between the two identical androids, a lost expression plastered on his features. No wonder Android 18 had torn off her shirt; now that the two of them were both topless there was no way to tell them apart. Krillin couldn't attack them both, and he couldn't risk hitting his own wife.

"She's the evil one," Android 18 called.

"No, she is!" Eighteen countered.

"I love you Krillin!"

"Krillin, don't listen to her!"

"Don't listen to her!"

"I'm the one that loves you."

"She's lying she hates you. She hates our daughter. She wants to kill her."

Krillin was looking impassively between the two, as though he were trying to figure out the truth.

"She'll kill our daughter! You can't let her live!"

"Krillin, please! Why don't you recognize me?"

"You've got to kill us both! It's the only way to guarantee Marron will be safe! Just tell her that I loved her!"

Eighteen stared at Android 18. What the hell was she trying to pull? She saw something register in Krillin's eyes.

"No Krillin!" Eighteen shouted. "It's a trick."

Krillin let fly the Destructo Disc straight at Eighteen.

"Krillin!" Eighteen screamed, falling to her knees. She shut her eyes and waited for the end. It wasn't fair! Krillin, Marron, they'd both be at the mercy of Android 18.  
She heard something being sliced and then four explosions.

When Eighteen finally opened her eyes she saw Krillin smiling at her. She turned towards Android 18. The evil duplicate was staring at her arms. Her hands were gone, sliced off at the wrists by the Destructo Discs.

"Almost identical," Krillin said grimly.

Eighteen got up and ran to her husband. She picked him up and held him in a strong embrace. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I told you before, you look older. I don't know why, but you're aging. She isn't."  
She was aging? Eighteen felt the smoothness of her face. She didn't feel any wrinkles, but Krillin wouldn't lie to her. She was aging, just like Krillin, just like Marron. They wouldn't leave her alone. She would grow old with Krillin and then meet him again in the next dimension.

Krillin noticed her crying. "Are you okay honey?"

"I'm fine," she sniffed. Eighteen put Krillin down and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"So what do we do about your evil twin?" Krillin asked, motioning to the catatonic Android 18.

"Kill her," Eighteen said.

"Are you sure?"

"If we don't she'll go after Marron."

Krillin sighed. "It's a shame to destroy such beauty. But if you say so."  
A Kamehameha solved the problem. Where Android 18 once stood there was only a crater.

"Let's go home," Eighteen said, spent. "I want to see my baby."

"Okay," Krillin said as they both began to float.

Eighteen noticed he was staring at her exposed breasts. "Give me your shirt."

Krillin smirked. "Why? I think that look is quite stunning on you."

"Just for that you cook dinner."

**THE END**

_Yep, that's it. The end. I hope you enjoyed it. Lemme know, 'kay? See Ya!_


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